Vassar gears up for Nov. 7 elections

Nadine Reitman Guest Writer

The 2006 midterm elections are just around the corner, and the Vassar College Democrats are ready to get everyone (including the candidates) pumped up. In the Nov. 7 elections, members of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate are up for re-election, as are some local politicians.

The Vassar College Democrats have been active in their support of local campaigns for this election. They have attended rallies, canvassed, and held phone banks for U.S. House of Representatives candidates, including Lois Murphy of Pennsylvania’s 6th district, John Hall of New York’s 19th district, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York’s 20th, and Maurice Hinchey of New York’s 22nd. On Monday, Oct. 30, they organized a trip to see Hall and Bill Clinton at a campaign rally for Hall.

In addition, the College Democrats have tried to engage students in the election through a special election edition of their publication Quorum. They have also run voter registration drives and posted articles in the All-Campus Dining Center (ACDC) and The Retreat.
Registering Vassar students to vote was especially important to the College Democrats. They attended dorm study breaks, tabled in the College Center and at the Arlington Street Fair, and succeeded last year in ensuring that a voter registration packet would be included in freshmen orientation packets. Vassar Democrats President Kari Kretch ’07 said the group is non-partisan in its voter registration.

“Voter turnout will be higher this election than at most midterm elections because there is high frustration with the government. Hopefully, this will mean more Vassar College students are voting as well,” said Kretch.

On election day, the College Democrats will provide shuttles to the polling stations and host an election night party in the Students’ Building. Attendees can follow the election on television, and there will be games raffles, a U.S. map to track the races, and free food and beer. The party is open to everyone on campus.

In the election at large, the College Democrats Director of Community and Voter Outreach Alex Sheff ’08 said that absentee ballot voting will likely be more popular in this election than in previous years. Sheff estimated that it could be used by 20 percent of all voters, largely because states are making it easier to vote via absentee ballot. Many states have passed laws saying that a voter does not need a valid reason to vote absentee. Traditionally, more conservatives have voted via absentee ballot, but that is changing as well. Sheff added that more Democrats are voting by absentee ballot partly because more college students are doing so. According to a survey of college students conducted by the Harvard University Institute of Politics before the 2004 presidential election, 13 percent more students supported the Democratic candidate than the Republican candidate.

The College Democrats’ top four campaign issues are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender
(LGBT) issues, the environment, reproductive rights, and education. They will continue to support these causes post-election, and will also host a panel of Vassar faculty and prominent community leaders.

Many Democrats are optimistic about the election. “The Democrats’ winning the House and Senate is a big possibility,” said Sheff. “The Democrats have the opportunity to take the country in a positive direction. We hope to get them in a position to do so.”